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Sesshoumaru
Sesshoumaru, feared throughout the world also known as "Lord Sesshōmaru, Demon Lord of the Western Lands", is Inuyasha's half-brother and the successor to the Great Dog Demon. Unlike many other demons, he has no interest in possessing even one shard of the Jewel of Four Souls to enhance his powers, since he is already supremely confident of his own strength. Accompaning him is a young human girl named Rin, and a demon by the name Jaken. After Naraku attempts to manipulate him by using Rin as a hostage, Sesshomaru becomes determined to destroy Naraku. Personality Sesshoumaru appears to be what is often described as ‘the ice king’; his face is eternally neutral and his expression rarely seems to change. He presents himself as an emotionless creature that holds things that are not as himself to be below him, having little respect for any creature. He believes that the human race is worthless and weak, merely a pest that deserves to be wiped out. This opinion could stem from his own father’s action; having, it seems, left Sesshoumaru’s demon mother for a human, which may have scarred Sesshoumaru and left him with his hatred of mankind. This resentment could also stem from the fact that, through saving InuYasha’s mother, the Dog General (Sesshoumaru’s father) died, leaving Sesshoumaru as the Lord of the Western Lands. It would be difficult for any child to forgive the death (or, perhaps, as he saw it, ‘murder’) of their parent. This image of a heartless killer is maintained throughout the first introductions of Sesshoumaru; when he is first introduced it is to steal an heirloom of his brothers, possibly killing him in the process. Although Sesshoumaru’s hatred of InuYasha could merely stem through his detest for humans and half-breeds (InuYasha being half-demon and half-human) it could also be due to his father’s actions; InuYasha being the product of a relationship that may have been both behind the back of his mother and adultery. In addition to this slight, InuYasha was left with what Sesshoumaru regards as the “better sword”, capable of killing a hundred demons in one swing, while the elder son was left with a “useless sword” that can revive a hundred beings with a single swing. Sesshoumaru also appears to be intelligent. He is the Lord of the Western Lands, a position that would be difficult to maintain without strength of both body and mind, and is able to understand and attempt to overcome plots made by his enemies rather quickly. Sesshoumaru is also a good tactician; he is able to fight well and work out the weaknesses of his foes as need be. Although Sesshoumaru is presented as a heartless character it seems that as the story progresses he begins to thaw. The introduction of the human girl, Rin, who showed no fear of the great demon Lord and cared for him during his time of need, indicated how the demon lord has begun to care for others. Instead of shunning the girl when he found her killed by wolves he uses Tenseiga to revive her, allowing her to follow him as he travelled. His continuous care for her and his stern protection of his human ward is indicative of the change in Sesshoumaru; he has allowed a child to worm her way into his heart and has found someone to protect, allowing others to see both his ire and his desperation when she is taken from him. Furthermore, Sesshoumaru appears to have begun to look out for his brother and InuYasha’s companions in addition to this. When InuYasha’s demon blood began to take control of him it was Sesshoumaru who appeared to quell the half-demon’s blood, teaching the others a lesson about the boy. In addition to this Sesshoumaru is seen to have saved InuYasha’s companions on some occasions, such as against the Poison Master of the Band of Seven. If Sesshoumaru was truly a heartless creature it is unlikely that he would be willing to put himself through the trouble of saving his brother’s human companions. In addition to his frosty nature, Sesshoumaru is also very arrogant and proud. It was mentioned by his aide, Jaken, that he is incredibly proud and, therefore, no matter what it may look on the surface his feelings would, perhaps, be in turmoil. He keeps his thoughts to himself and will only speak if he sees it as important; most conversations that include the demon are clipped and short. He is often blunt and incredibly considending, especially to those that he dislikes (which seems to be everyone). Though he can be seen as an 'evil' demon, this is certainly not true. While he is smart and tactical, he is not sneaky or decietful; indeed, Sesshoumaru is often rather obvious in his desire and aims. He does not use minions to do what he wishes; he does everything himself if he can do so. Though this may indicate that he has some goodness in him, it could also be down to his own arrogance and pride rather than an inner goodness. Due to his 'powerful aura' Sesshoumaru is able to cast fear into the hearts of humans and demons alike. The only person who appears to both not have feared him and to have held his respect is his dead father; his disregard for creatures is, as mentioned, generally seen in his dislike for humans, seen as "insects" to him. It seems as though Sesshoumaru has little concern for those that he scares due to both his title and personal power, however. Indeed, although Sesshoumaru still appears as emotionless as ever at times it is evident that what he is feeling inside will rise to the surface despite attempts to quell it. These attempts may be due to a desire to hide his feelings, perhaps as they are a weakness (Sesshoumaru certainly seemed to regard his father’s love for a human as his greatest fault) or they damage his solitary nature, but it seems that his ability to hide them has begun to fail as he becomes accustomed to travelling with a bright young girl. History Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands, is the son of the powerful Inu no Taishou; the Great Dog Demon and, since his father was considered to be one, Sesshoumaru is deemed to be a taiyoukai (great demon) in his own right. He is presented as being cold, indifferent and brutally aloof, uncaring about anything other than surpassing his father in strength. He thinks highly of himself and is very proud, leading to his cruelty to those he believes to be weaker or under him. In particular he believes humans to be weak and expendable creatures, perhaps due to their shorter lifespan and the fact that his father slept with a human (perhaps, in a way, betraying Sesshoumaru, though the way that this happened in comparison to his mother's history is near unknown). Despite the way he looks, it is argued that Sesshoumaru is still a teenager by 'demon' standards and has yet to reach full maturity. This is indicated by his transformation within his father's grave - he wasn't even a tenth of the size of his dead father. Sesshoumaru's introduction in the series was an attempt to steal an heirloom from his younger half-brother - the Tetsusaiga. The sword, once used by their father, was supposed to be able to kill a hundred demons with a single strike and the sword was hidden from both Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. In order to gain the sword, the bearer must be able to show compassion for humans, therefore when he finally lays his hand upon the sword Sesshoumaru was unable to break the barrier - InuYasha could, however, because Kagome took it and gave it to him, after which he promised to 'protect her' by fighting Sesshoumaru and cutting of his left arm. Sesshoumaru, for the majority of the first parts of the series, has attempted on countless occasions to steal the sword from his brother and, at times, has even been able to use it (by attaching a human arm to the place his brother cut his own arm off and using a demon arm, alongside just bearing the burn the sword gives him). Sesshoumaru was, however, also gifted with a sword from his father - the Tenseiga. He considers this sword useless, however, as it can bring 100 people back from the dead and is unable to cut. Although Sesshoumaru regards the sword as a waste of weight, he uses it to revive a young girl, Rin, who eventually becomes his ward: the girl slowly begins to teach him compassion. Though he told his servant Jaken that he was merely testing his sword, his thoughts revealed that it was Tenseiga itself that compelled him to resuscitate Rin - perhaps influenced by his father once asking if he 'had something to protect'. He then uses the sword to revive a great demon so that a blacksmith can use it's fangs to make him a sword far greater than his brothers - the Tokijin. After the sword was forged (and a battle ensued between InuYasha and Sesshoumaru where the sword's aura was so evil it overtook the blacksmith that had created it) Sesshoumaru appeared to lose most of his interest in stealing his brother's sword. The sword is later destroyed in a fight, although the sword smith Totosai reforged it with the ability to send enemies into the afterlife - the reason for this is that, due to the death of a somewhat-ally Kagura, Sesshoumaru gained more compassion, making him able to use the healing sword as an offensive weapon. Sesshoumaru continued with his journey until his ward, Rin, was kidnapped by the half-demon Naraku. After saving the girl from the demon's clutches, almost becoming a part of it in the process, Sesshoumaru swore vengeance on the beast. He maintained his journey, but instead began to track Naraku, often leading to confrontations with his brother and the foes InuYasha's group were facing in the process. Sometimes lending a hand, though generally being unconcerned with his brother's welfare, Sesshoumaru appeared to desire both the demise of Naraku and, still, to hold Tetsusaiga in his hands. His dream was realised when a human princess, Sara, fell in love with him and stole the sword form InuYasha on his behalf; Sesshoumaru was able to use the sword to destroy the demons that has possessed Sara but it still burned his hand; he returned the sword to his brother and continued on his way. Sesshoumaru visits his mother to ask how he can make his Meido Zangetsuha stronger and even more powerful. She summons a Hell Hound for him to battle, which takes Rin and Kohaku into the void of the netherworld. He follow and defeats the beast and rescues them, ignoring his mother's offer to return him to the Real World. The darkness of the Abyssal Void envelopes Rin and Sesshoumaru confronts a guardian of the dead, but Rin dies. Sesshoumaru uses Tenseiga to purify the dead in the netherworld and Tenseiga returns them all to the world of the living. Sesshoumaru is disturbed to realize Tenseiga cannot revive Rin again, only able to resurrect a person once - he admits that the price he paid was not worth the power Tenseiga has received. His mother, after scolding him about thinking he could control life and death, revives Rin using her own Meido stone, but warns that neither Rin nor Kohaku can be resurrected by Tenseiga again. A demon called Shishinki comes forward to Sesshoumaru, asking for a fight. To Sesshoumaru's shock, Shishinki attacks him using a complete Medio - Shishinki states that Inu no Tashio, Sesshoumaru's father, stole the technique from him long ago. Shishinki taunts Sesshoumaru, telling him that the only reason that Sesshoumaru was given Tenseiga was because he was being shunned by his father - Tenseiga being a cast of from Tetsusaiga to contain the unneeded Meido. As Sesshoumaru ponders on Shishinki's words, Shishinki attacks again. Inuyasha then arrives, joining the fight (much to Sesshoumaru's irritation), using the Wind Scar to protect him. Sesshoumaru punches his brother, ordering him to not interfere. The demon charges Shishinki before Myoga tells Sesshoumaru this his father entrusted him with the Meido because he was aware that he could master it while Inuyasha couldn't. Sesshoumaru merely continues his attack - when Inuyasha returns to his aid their swords pulse and Sesshoumaru is able to create a full Meido that swallows Shishinki. Totosai confirms that Sesshoumaru's father gave him Tenseiga so that he could perfect the Meido move before it's reabsorbed into Tetsusaiga. Using a fragment of Kanna's mirror, Sesshoumaru is able to make Tenseiga a replica of Inuyasha's sword, challenging his brother to a battle to test his worthiness to wield their father's fang, which Inuyasha accepts. Sesshoumaru creates a Meido that swallows Inuyasha, throwing Tenseiga into it - Naraku attempts to control the sword through Kanna's mirror, but Sesshoumaru follows and forces his brother to break the Tenseiga. Tetsusaiga turns black and Inuyasha creates his own Meido to return from the Netherworld. The broken Tenseiga returns anew. Totosai states that now freed from his obsession with his brother's sword Sesshoumaru is close to gaining his own, more powerful weapon. Naraku then enables Magatsuhi, the demon that had been trapped in an eternal battle with a priestess within the Shikon Jewel, to gain a physical body - he goes and attacks Sesshoumaru's group in order to attempt to take Kohaku's Shikon Shard. Sesshoumaru struggles to defend Kohaku without a weapon of his own, ending up badly hurt when Inuyasha's group arrives. Sesshoumaru uses his will to heal his wounds, annoyed with Inuyasha's attempts to tell him to back off and turns into his true form to attack Magatsuhi. The brothers fight Magatsuhi together, eventually leading to Sesshoumaru becoming trapped within his body. Inuyasha runs after him, getting captured as well. Sesshoumaru soon breaks free; his left arm has been restored and he has a new sword. Totosai calls it Bakusaiga - he tells Sesshoumaru that the sword was within him the whole time, waiting until he surpassed his father in strength. Sesshoumaru destroys Magatsuhi's body, forcing him to flee. Sesshoumaru then goes to hunt Magatsuhi alone, leaving Kohaku in Kaede's care. Sesshoumaru finds Magatsuhi and attacks him with Tenseiga, but it was nothing more than an illusion created by Byakuya. The real Magatsuhi is attacking Kaede's village, eventually gaining control of Kohaku's body. After working out the deception, Sesshoumaru attacks Byakuya, slaying the thousand demons brought forward with a single slash of Bakusaiga's. Kohaku is able to push Magatsuhi out of his body as Sesshoumaru arrives, who then uses Tenseiga to cut Magatsuhi in half, destroying a part of him. When Naraku attempts to take over Kohaku's body himself Sesshoumaru uses Bakusaiga on him, causing his body to explode. Sesshoumaru then enters Naraku’s body in order to find Rin - meanwhile, as Inuyasha gets close to the Shikon Jewel he turns into a full-blooded demon, attacking Kagome. As Inuyasha attempts to attack Magatsuhi he's possessed, Sesshoumaru and Kagome quickly arriving to fight him. Inuyasha (still possessed by Magatsuhi) and Sesshoumaru fight while Kagome attempts to get Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha as it will seal his demonic blood. As Kagome falls over a cliff Inuyasha is able to regain some consciousness and sooner after all of it - Magatsuhi leaves his body and Sesshoumaru uses Tenseiga to destroy him. Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's group join together and go forward to the final battle against Naraku. Naraku gives his soul to the Shikon Jewel and transforms, the group learning that his true wish was Kikyou's heart, whic was never granted. Kagome shoots a sacred arrow, dealing the final blow to the half-demon. As he dies, Naraku is purified - Kagome returns to her own time, but is eventually drawn back into the well and to Inuyasha's side. Sesshoumaru allows Rin to stay at Kaede's village, occasionally visiting and bringing her gifts: he is shown flying over the village with Kagome calling him "big brother"/"brother-in-law"; though he doesn't look pleased he does nothing more than continue his flight. Despite desiring to become stronger than his father, Sesshoumaru does not ever desire to use the jewel shards to become stronger (the only time he does use one is to attach a human arm to his demonic body). Sesshoumaru, however, 'walks the path of conquest' and wants to grow stronger by himself: he would never use such petty means as a jewel shards, unlike other demons. Sesshoumaru's part of the story is that of a sometimes-antagonist, playing the role of the shows first large adversary, and an ally at certain points. Powers TBA Within Vatheon TBA Important Relationships TBA Category:Characters